By Cam Lucadou-Wells
In a disturbing trend, Greater Dandenong’s crime rate has soared by 5.9 per cent over the 12 months ending on 31 March 2020.
It is well above the 3.5 per cent rise recorded across the state.
Twelve months ago, Greater Dandenong’s offence rate had dropped 1.9 per cent in March 2019.
Victoria Police’s Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton said police were also already seeing a “snap back” of crime after it quietened during the Covid-19 lockdown in April.
“It’s going to be very difficult with unemployment moving forward,” Dep Comm Patton warned.
Some of the rise was attributed to the greater ease of reporting crime, either via the relatively new Police Assistance Line or online.
This was particularly a factor in the rise in graffiti reports (up 41 per cent in Greater Dandenong), Dep Comm Patton said.
He also noted proactive policing took a hit during summer, due to redeployments to support the East Gippsland bushfire ‘state of emergency’.
Reported offences in Dandenong dropped 1 per cent but remains the council area’s crime capital with 7481 offences.
On the rise were Noble Park (up 4 per cent to 2759), Springvale (up 11 per cent to 2701), Keysborough (up 22 per cent to 2061) and Dandenong North (up 11 per cent 1580).
The most common offences were theft from vehicles (up 12 per cent), other thefts (up 16 per cent), criminal damage (down 3 per cent), obtaining benefit by deception and breaching bail (up 7 per cent).
Family violence reported incidents soared by 11 per cent, with threatening behaviour up 41 per cent and breaches of family-violence orders up by 26 per cent.
Family violence serious assaults dipped by 19 per cent.
Police Minister Lisa Neville said youth crime and family violence were particular areas of concern.
She said the spike in family violence offences, up 5 per cent statewide, was “not a surprise” due to people being more likely to report it and police taking it ever more seriously
“But we need to ensure women and children are safe in their homes”.
Family violence fueled an increase in crimes against the person, she said.
More than half of reported assaults were family-related, the spike in homicides were also largely due to “family violence murders”.
Youth crime got “a lot of headlines” but was on the decline.
“In many cases they’re harming each other.”
The 7500 youth offenders aged 10-17 years old were still proportionally small in Victoria, making up 9 per cent of total offenders.
The age group were “over-represented” in public-place robberies.
These were largely involving the theft of phones, Air Pods, clothes and most of all, shoes from other youths.
Offenders that age were also stealing cigarettes, liquor, food and clothing from retail shops, Ms Neville said.
Youth offenders were involved in car jackings and home invasions at “very small” numbers compared to older crims.
Police had specific youth-related resources, but the issue would also be solved by “families and communities working together”, Ms Neville said.
Offences by female youths in Victoria had risen by about 10 per cent. However in raw numbers, their 5000-plus offences are a fraction of the 14,000 by male youths, Ms Neville noted.
In Greater Dandenong, dangerous driving was up 25 per cent, and firearm offences up 31 per cent (though prohibited weapons were down 13 per cent).
Homicides doubled from 3 to 7, as did hacking offences.
Drug trafficking was up 11 per cent, cultivation up 30 per cent and yet, possession was slightly down.
Aggravated home burglaries were up 22 per cent but non-aggravated home burglaries down 16 per cent.
